Fed-OSHA is holding a stakeholder meeting July 17, in Washington, D.C., to discuss the future direction of its Voluntary Protection Programs. The agency’s aim is to “reshape VPP so that it continues to represent safety and health excellence, leverages partner resources, further recognizes the successes of long-term participants, and supports smart program growth.” Fed-OSHA is […]
Original Articles
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Cal/OSHA Seeks Huge Penalties in Refinery Explosion
The Division of Occupational Safety and Health has cited ExxonMobil Refining for 19 alleged violations following an investigation into the February 18 explosion at the company’s Torrance refinery. The incident only slightly injured four workers, but investigators concluded that management had been aware of hazardous conditions at the unit in question, yet took no steps […]
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Standards Board Finally Gets Seats Filled
Gov. Jerry Brown has reappointed four current members of the Cal/OSH Standards Board and named two new members to Cal/OSHA’s rulemaking body. The appointments are being said to provide both stability and new faces to the board. The newly appointed members are Robert Blink, 62, of San Francisco, and John Sacco, 60, of Rocklin. Both […]
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Short Window to Comment on Heat Illness Guidance
Do you have questions about Cal/OSHA’s new revisions to the heat illness prevention regulation? Do you want the Division of Occupational Safety and Health to address your ideas and concerns in its updated guidance document on the regulation? You have to act fast – before Friday, March 6 if you want to weigh in. DOSH […]
Curated Content Articles of Interest from Around the Web
New Digest 2-13-2020
Employee fatally pinned at Virginia steel company
A 36-year-old employee of a Verona, Virginia steel company died in a workplace accident on Tuesday when he was trying to slide tandem axles on a flatbed trailer and became pinned. VOSH is investigating. WVIR (Charlottesville, Va.)
Charges filed for health, safety concerns tied to vacant property
A large pile of bricks at a historic home in Madison Heights, Virginia that has a long history of complaints from neighbors, is causing concern for health and environmental officials, and VOSH has been called to investigate. One man connected to the property faces littering charges. WSET
Fed-OSHA cites peach farm for fatal forklift accident
Fed-OSHA has cited a Georgia peach farm for exposing employees to struck-by hazards after investigators found a 56-year-old employee was fatally caught between the load on a forklift and a metal railing while performing maintenance last August. The agency has fined $128,000 in penalties. WMAZ (Macon, Ga.) [with video]
Employee seriously injured in conveyor incident at UPS facility
Fed-OSHA is investigating after a man suffered life-threatening injuries while working on a conveyor belt at a UPS facility in Kansas City, Missouri. KSHB (Kansas City)
OFF TOPIC
‘Unions are hurting working people under the guise of protecting them’
“Had it not been for unions, work weeks would be longer, pay less, and the standard of living lower. However, past good doesn’t negate current troublesome activities,” specifically, legislation like California’s AB 5 and the national H.R. 2474, writes Erik Sherman in Forbes.
‘My boss wants me to travel during the coronavirus’
Can employees cite the coronavirus outbreak as a reason not to carry out their ordinary duties? Fortune
Are employers responsible for protecting employees from workplace violence?
Even with acts of workplace violence on the rise in the US, most employees are not thinking about this when they arrive at work. Thomas Brady, of the Homeland Security Training Institute at College of DuPage, discusses the responsibilities employers have to protect their employees from workplace violence. Daily Herald